Denver and the West

State: Operator implicated in Tiny Town train derailment

Workers, investigators and emergency personnel work the scene of a train derailment at Tiny Town & Railroad in Morrison, Colo. on Wednesday 08/11/10. Thirty passengers were on the train when the incident occurred and fifteen were transported to the hospital. (DENVER POST | MATT MCCLAIN)

The train at Tiny Town that derailed on Wednesday did so because of operator error, initial findings of the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment have concluded.

In interviews with investigators, "the engineer of the train admitted he accelerated the train - the locomotive - versus braking when he was entering a turn," said Cher Haavind, spokeswoman for the state agency. "He should have been going three miles per hour, and he admitted he was going at a much higher speed."

As he entered the turn, said Haavind, the train operator realized he was going too fast for the turn, "panicked" and reached for the wrong lever in the locomotive.

Instead of grabbing the brake lever, he pulled the lever that actually accelerated the train, said the spokeswoman.

Haavind said that the initial conclusion of the investigation is that there appears to be a "safety violation," which could result in an enforcement order and/or a fine.

The agency review of the incident is being conducted by state inspector Joseph Ewald, who just 24 hours prior to the accident had been at Tiny Town where he conducted a "random audit inspection."

Haavind said that during the random inspection, Ewald had focused on one particular aspect of the Tiny Town operation - the tracks - which he found to be in good condition.

Haavind said that the state agency does not believe it is a conflict for Ewald to be conducting the review into the mishap.

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Ewald is a qualified inspector who is certified by the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, said Haavind.

"He (Ewald) clearly indicated what he was looking at during the random audit was the track and the review we are doing now is on any safety violations," said Haavind.

She said that the normal annual "top-to-bottom" review at Tiny Town is conducted by a qualified third party inspector.

"So that combined with the initial conversations with the engineer admitting operator error led us not to have any concerns about Joseph Ewald conducting a further investigation," said Haavind.

Haavind said that the engineer of the Tiny Town train is in his mid-40s.

She said that the Labor Department is conducting a joint investigation with the manufacturer of the locomotive to determine if anything mechanical could have caused the train to speed up. However, she said that the operator indicated he was at fault for speeding up and that the train did not run away from him.

The state simply wants to rule out the possibility that there was some kind of mechanical malfunction, she said.

Haavind said the investigation should conclude next week.

On Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said it has concluded that there is no criminal liability in connection with the accident which occurred at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Sheriff spokesman Mark Techmeyer said the train operator train did everything he could to stop it.

Techmeyer said the levers on the engine had all been pushed into the "brake" position.

"He did everything in his power to stop the train," said Techmeyer. "We have found nothing that would indicate there was anything criminal that led to this tragic accident."

Because there is no criminal wrongdoing, Techmeyer said the work by the sheriff's office has concluded.

He added that the sheriff's investigation remains technically "open" - meaning no reports will be made public - while the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment completes its investigation.

Tiny Town managers have not responded to requests for comment.

Fifteen people were injured Wednesday when the train derailed at Tiny Town. About 30 people were on the train when the engine jumped the tracks and five cars behind it tipped over.

Seven adults and five children from the Tiny Town accident were taken to Swedish Medical Center, including eight females and four males. As of today, all but one of the patients has been released, said Deborah Gosling, spokeswoman for the hospital.

The Labor Department's Susan DeMeules said that the department found no problem with the Tiny Town trains in the last three years and issued "Annual Amusement Ride Certificates of Inspection" for each of the years.

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

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